Dear Cousins on the List: I haven't been feeling well, but I haven't been just sitting around stroking my chinwhiskers because of it. I've been learning more things about research methodology, and especially about the early immigration and settlement of Maryland and Virginia. This is important because often in genealogy we have to begin at the beginning. But it's hard to tell where the beginning is! We think we know the roots of a family, only to discover that we don't at all. I've discovered that uncovering history always helps the genealogical pursuit. The history of European immigration to America begins with the changes in attitudes of people toward their personal liberty and to a much greater degree, their attitudes toward religion. Before the 16th century religious and personal freedom was minimal. The church and state were wrapped tightly together, controlling the legal, moral, and economic life of people. As religious humanists began to question this authority, changes did begin to occur within the church and even somewhat in governments, but for the most part government still meant connection to an official church. This continued in America through the colonial period. Although the Puritan Pilgrim fathers in New England are hailed as founding a New World haven for freedom of religion, they really only established a place where they could practice their own variety of religion. They put to death, cruelly maimed, beat, and banished persons (usually a death sentence due to the wilderness around them) who disagreed with them, principally Quakers. Meanwhile, back In England the process culminated in the horrors of Civil War, with the Puritan Oliver Cromwell crushing King Charles's armies, trying and beheading him in January 1649. What I didn't realize was that both Virginia and Maryland both had heavy puritan immigration, and these Puritans played a very great role in the history of the founding of both. In Maryland, Lord Baltimore, although a Catholic, had opened his doors to all Christians who sought religious freedom, regardless of the brand. He was not getting Maryland settled as quickly as he wanted, so about the time of Cromwell's takeover of the British government, Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Lord Baron of Baltimore, instructed his Governor, William Stone, to better facilitate immigration, and thus disgruntled Puritans in Virginia began to arrive in Anne Arundel County (where Annapolis, the county and state seat is.) Their gratitude for Baltimore's generosity was shown by fomenting a rebellion against him, killing several people, and taking over the government for a couple of years! About a third of these early Anne Arundel immigrants came up from Virginia. All of AA county became Providence, but for the most part their settlement was concentrated on Broad Neck, which lies between the Magothy and Severn Rivers. Interestingly, after some time, many of these Puritan families turned toward Quakerism, because they never formed a church of their own as the New England Puritans did. The early colonial records for Maryland have been remarkably well kept. Although there was a courthouse fire around 1700, many AA county land records had been duplicated in other localities. Land patents are online at the Maryland Archives, (you must first get a password for access,) along with the published Archives of Maryland, which are easily searched. http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/homepage/html/homepage.html I have been perusing three very fine books, one on the early immigrants (1649-1658) to Providence, on on the AA county church records, and one on AA colonial families. I've learned from each of them. It seems to me that what we need to learn (and re-learn) as researchers is not just how to find records, but how to interpret them. If someone has spent years collecting records and never learns proper interpretive methodology, he "might as well have stood in bed," as a famous person once said. I just came across one more hideously maimed genealogy which has been put into the LDS's IGI and sealed, and it makes my stomach churn. So therefore, I'm putting up some new pages. They have resource pages with each which includes a bibliography and weblinks, and a dialog on the history, as well as interpretations of resources. The pages are based on my own Pennington research, but please PLEASE remember the family is used as an example for methodology which can be applied to any family. The pages specifically refer to the community and kinship around the family used as an example. My study page reflecting this early AA history is based on William Pennington who came by 1658 to "Providence." The area was served by St. Margaret's Church, and Westminster Parish. Historic Londontown is an archaelogical undertaking near Annapolis. http://www.historiclondontown.com/ There is a great site by a Maryland school which demonstrates the efficacy of interactive online teaching methods. This site provides a 1734 deed from a Londontown property owner and the 1684 plat of Londontown. http://www.keyschool.pvt.k12.md.us/londontown/Pages/Pages/deed.html http://www.keyschool.pvt.k12.md.us/londontown/Pages/Pages/platmap.html This is a k-12 school! I just wish they'd had the same classes for those jerks who sealed the incorrect lineages with the Mormon church! These early families are the rootstock of America. They hold a fascinating history for all of us. It's spring! Time to dig and plant, and come to better understanding of what makes us who we are. Love, your cousin, Carolyn Carolyn McDaniel cmacdee@centurytel.net ========================================= --- Visit American Crossroads --- http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~amxroads --- Visit Backcountry Crossroads --- http://www.backcountrycrossroads.com